Buzz
You've likely been advised to let steaks rest after cooking, but do you understand why? Allowing steaks to rest briefly before serving allows the meat to reabsorb its juices, preventing them from spilling onto the plate as soon as you cut into the meat. It also provides an opportunity for the steaks to finish cooking—and gives you a moment to whip up a quick pan sauce, if desired.
Steps
Resting the Steak
Preheat the plate where you'll be resting the steak. It may seem insignificant, but placing your steaks on a warm plate helps retain heat. Pop a heat-resistant platter or large plate in the microwave for about 1 minute. Remember to use oven mitts when handling the hot plate! Then, transfer your cooked steaks onto the warm plate.
- If you don't have a microwave, fret not! Place the plate or platter in the oven and set it to the lowest temperature. It'll take approximately 5 minutes for the plates to warm up, so pop them in the oven when you start cooking your steaks.
If you're outdoors and it's windy, loosely cover the steak with foil. There's ongoing debate about whether foil effectively retains heat. Some argue its impact is only significant when cooking outdoors in cold or windy conditions. Whether to use foil is entirely your choice.
- Keep in mind that covering the steak with foil can soften the crust, resulting in a loss of crispiness.
For a crisp crust, leave the steak uncovered. While loosely covering with foil may retain a bit more warmth, it sacrifices the crispy crust. If you prefer the crust, feel free to let your steaks rest without covering them. Rest them on a warm plate without any cover.
If you want to maintain high heat, place the steaks in a 150 °F (66 °C) oven. This method of resting steaks sparks debate. While the low oven heat preserves warmth, some argue it risks drying out the meat. If using this method, only leave the steaks in the oven for a brief period during resting to avoid overcooking.
- Ensure the steaks remain uncovered to prevent foil from trapping moisture, which would soften the crust.
Allow the steaks to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Resist the temptation to slice into the meat immediately! Let it rest undisturbed while you finish preparing the rest of the meal, ensuring the steaks are brought to the table promptly once they've finished resting. Aim for a minimum of 5 minutes.
- Set a timer to avoid forgetting about the resting steaks, which could result in excessive cooling.
Reheating Steak
To achieve a crispy crust, sear grilled steaks for 1 minute after resting. After removing your perfectly browned steaks from the grill and allowing them to rest, if you find the exterior has softened and the steaks have cooled, don't fret! Quickly remedy this by adding a dozen coals to your grill or setting your gas grill to high. Just before serving, place the steaks on the grill and sear each side for about 30 seconds.
- This brief sear on the grill removes exterior moisture, preserving the crust's crispiness and warming the steaks without toughening them.
To restore a crackly crust, pour hot pan juices over pan-seared steaks. If your pan-seared steaks have lost their crispiness after resting, fear not! Reheat them easily and regain that fantastic crust by heating the skillet with pan juices and drippings while the steaks rest. Just before serving, pour the hot juices over the steaks. The drippings will crisp up the meat's exterior, resulting in crackling perfection.
- Ensure immediate serving to prevent the steaks from cooling down and softening again.
Warm the meat by slicing steaks thinly and pouring hot gravy or sauce over them. If you're concerned about overcooking the meat during reheating, try this excellent method. Slice cold, cooked steaks thinly and arrange them on warm serving plates. Then, heat the gravy or sauce until steaming hot and pour it over the meat. Your steak will be warm and tender, without any toughness.
- This technique is ideal for serving steak to a group, allowing you to cook the steak in advance and slice it just before serving.
Reheat leftover steaks in the oven and finish them in a hot skillet. For reheating leftover steaks, the oven is your best bet. Place the steaks on a wire rack over a baking sheet and heat them at 250 °F (121 °C) until they reach about 110 °F (43 °C). For a crisp crust, heat vegetable oil in a skillet over high heat, and sear each side of the warm steak for 60 to 90 seconds. Let the steaks rest for 5 minutes before serving.
- Limit reheating steaks using this method to once, as repeated reheating may affect the meat's texture.
Prevent microwave-dried steak by covering cold leftovers with a damp paper towel. When hunger strikes and you have leftover steak, microwaving it uncovered may result in dry, chewy meat—not ideal. If microwave reheating is your only option, cover the steaks with a damp paper towel and microwave them in 30-second intervals, flipping each time for even warming.
- Reduce the microwave power to medium to avoid overcooking.
- Expect reheating to take 90 seconds to 2 minutes, depending on steak size and thickness.
Helpful Tips
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Regardless of your preferred cooking method for steaks, allowing them to rest is crucial for achieving an outstanding result. Don't overlook this step!
Essential Items
- Serving plate or platter
- Oven mitts
- Aluminum foil, if desired
